| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe: observed in any portion of its vast extent, and no torch,
or other artificial source of light was discernible; yet a flood
of intense rays rolled throughout, and bathed the whole in a
ghastly and inappropriate splendour.
I have just spoken of that morbid condition of the auditory
nerve which rendered all music intolerable to the sufferer, with
the exception of certain effects of stringed instruments. It
was, perhaps, the narrow limits to which he thus confined himself
upon the guitar, which gave birth, in great measure, to the
fantastic character of the performances. But the fervid
facility of his impromptus could not be so accounted for.
The Fall of the House of Usher |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Apology by Plato: thinking to try me? He said to himself:--I shall see whether the wise
Socrates will discover my facetious contradiction, or whether I shall be
able to deceive him and the rest of them. For he certainly does appear to
me to contradict himself in the indictment as much as if he said that
Socrates is guilty of not believing in the gods, and yet of believing in
them--but this is not like a person who is in earnest.
I should like you, O men of Athens, to join me in examining what I conceive
to be his inconsistency; and do you, Meletus, answer. And I must remind
the audience of my request that they would not make a disturbance if I
speak in my accustomed manner:
Did ever man, Meletus, believe in the existence of human things, and not of
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Rinkitink In Oz by L. Frank Baum: not to fool with tigers."
The little Prince could not help smiling at this
shrewd answer, but Queen Cor frowned and gave the King
a sharp look.
"Oh," said she; "I think I know the difference
between a tiger and a lapdog. But I'll bear the warning
in mind, just the same."
For, after all her success in capturing them, she was
a little afraid of these people who had once displayed
such extraordinary powers.
Chapter Eleven
Rinkitink In Oz |
